Anytime you can reach base seven times, it is pretty clear you had a special night. Granted, this was a 14-inning game, but Patterson still took full advantage of nearly every opportunity, only recording one out. Patterson's times on base were not cheap, either, with three of his hits going for extra bases. This season's 10th round pick, Patterson has made the jump to professional ball well, posting a .301/.383/.482 line in his first 21 games. The infielder's plate discipline could use a little work -- he currently owns a 19:10 SO:BB -- but most players getting their first taste of professional ball have things to improve. We will learn more about Patterson's ultimate upside as the soon-to-be 22-year-old faces competition above the New York-Penn League, but in the early going, the senior sign is doing pretty well.

Danny Salazar (SP, Columbus): ND, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 5 SO, 1 WP. Salazar may get another shot in the majors soon, though whether he is fully ready for it or not is an open question. The right-hander is still working on his control, as he has posted a 4.7 BB/9 in 53.2 Triple-A innings.

Tyler Sturdevant (RP, Columbus): L (1-1), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO. Someone had to give up the run in Columbus' 1-0 loss and it turned out to be Sturdevant. That should not take away from the right-hander's strong Triple-A debut, however, as the 28-year-old owns a 2.45 ERA and 11:3 SO:BB in 11.0 innings.

Tyler Holt (CF, Columbus): 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 CS. On a night the Clippers only managed three hits, Holt still managed to have a good game at the plate. With a .446 on-base percentage and .869 OPS in 45 games, Holt is making the best case he can for a real chance in the majors this season.

Will Roberts (SP, Akron): W (10-9), 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HBP. Roberts really embraced the pitch-to-contact ideal Thursday and found success with it. This was Roberts' ninth start in a row of six or more innings.

Anthony Gallas (RF, Akron): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SO. Gallas is still hitting for power (21 extra base hits in 32 Double-A games) and getting on base (.380 on-base percentage), and while this exact pace may not be sustainable, it is great to see the 26-year-old put up some big numbers in his first real exposure to Double-A.

Adam Abraham (3B, Akron): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SO. Though Abraham is not tearing it up in Akron -- he owns a .653 OPS in 17 games -- it is great to see the 27-year-old back in action after missing the start of the season due to injury.

Bryan LaHair (1B, Akron): 2-for-4, 1 RBI. LaHair is still stuck in Double-A, but while the first baseman's .757 OPS is solid, it is also not exactly banging down the doors for a return trip to Columbus.

Adam Plutko (SP, Carolina): ND, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO. Plutko had one of his best starts in Carolina as the right-hander continues to adjust to High-A. For more on Plutko, be sure to check out Minor Happenings later today.

James Roberts (2B, Carolina): 3-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI. Roberts' lack of power this season is a bit troublesome -- this was only his eighth extra base hit in 80 games -- but the infielder has still managed to get on base and control the zone, posting a .361 on-base percentage and 52:25 SO:BB.

Yandy Diaz (3B, Carolina): 0-for-4, 1 E. In addition to the error, Diaz saw his nine-game hit streak come to an end. The third baseman can still hang his hat on his .414 on-base percentage in 37 games, however.

Dace Kime (SP, Lake County): L (5-11), 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO. Kime is showing the ability that made him a third round pick last year from time to time, though the right-hander is still working on consistently letting it shine through.

Nellie Rodriguez (1B, Lake County): 0-for-4, 1 SO. Rodriguez saw his 15-game hit streak come to an end, though the gains the first baseman made during the streak are still pretty significant (his OPS jumped from .726 to .797 in that time).

Paul Hendrix (3B, Lake County): 0-for-2, 2 SO. Hendrix's eight-game hit streak came to an end Thursday, at least in part because the infielder was ejected by the home plate umpire in the fourth innings.

Mike Papi (DH, Lake County): 0-for-4, 3 SO. Making his Lake County debut, Papi had a night to forget. Luckily this is baseball and there is almost always another game the next night to wash away the memories of the previous one.

Cameron Hill (SP, Mahoning Valley): ND, 4.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1 HBP. Oh the lower levels of the minors, where a pitcher can throw four no-hit innings and also allow a run on four walks, a hit by pitch, and an own error. Joking aside, Hill owns a very good 1.29 ERA in 21.0 innings this season, though the right-hander will need to improve his 13:9 SO:BB.

Leo Castillo (1B, Mahoning Valley): 3-for-7, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB. Castillo has shown some nice pop this season, posting a .213 isolated power in 22 games, but he could use a few more games like Thursday's to raise his .318 on-base percentage.

Yonathan Mendoza (SS, Mahoning Valley): 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 SO. Mendoza had been scuffling to start the season, but the 20-year-old seems to be coming on lately. While the hits have not fallen in for Mendoza, he still owns an impressive 9:12 SO:BB in 25 games.

Shao-Ching Chiang (SP, AZL Indians): L (1-1), 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HBP, 1 E. Though Thursday's outing could have gone better, Chiang's third time in the Arizona League still seems to be the charm. The 20-year-old owns a 3.38 ERA and 15:1 SO:BB in 18.2 innings even after Thursday's rough start.

Sam Hentges (RP, AZL Indians): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 SO. This solid, one-inning outing was Hentges' professional debut and definitely a good way for the 2014 fourth round pick to start his career.

Li-Jen Chu (C, AZL Indians): 2-for-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 PB. Chu has shown off an ability to both get on base and hit for power in the early going, as the 20-year-old has posted a .286/.390/.457 line in 13 games.

Yu-Cheng Chang (3B, AZL Indians): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SO. Chang's stateside debut continues to impress, with the 18-year-old up to a .333/.455/.574 line in 15 games. The infielder also has not been bad regarding plate discipline, racking up nine walks to balance out his 15 strikeouts.

If you want to follow Jim on Twitter, he’s@JimPiascik. If you want to e-mail him, you can do so at jpiasci1@gmail.com. If you want to read his Master's thesis on college athletes and Twitter, you can do so here.

User Comments

tim

July 18, 2014 - 6:56 PM EDT

yourtribe: agreed. He can't even get through six innings of a shutout. Bullpen arms would fall off with the extra work Salazar would place on relievers.

yourtribe

July 18, 2014 - 6:34 PM EDT

Salazar is not ready. They should not bring him up

Tondo

July 18, 2014 - 4:15 PM EDT

The Taiwanese connection is off to an impressive start in the AZL. All four are making a case to be in LC next season, but the priority guys to watch out for are SS/3B Chang (500k) and RHP Chiang (250k). Though Chu (40k) could be Meija's backup in LC, as no other C in the lower levels is doing much with the bat.

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